42
The prospects for the extension of British influence and trade in Siam, after the war, appear to present great promise. So far from foreign trade being discouraged, as has been the case in many Eastern countries, it is welcomed in Siam by both The attitude of the Siamese Government was clearly Government and people. outlined in a speech delivered by the late King in 1907, at a banquet given to the leaders of the foreign mercantile community in Bangkok. His Majesty said :—
"The pioneers of Siamese commerce have in truth been the merchants of foreign countries, owing to intercourse with whom, as we see to our great satisfaction, the spirit of commerce is now at last awakening in our own people. It is highly beneficial to the commerce of our country that the merchants of all nations should meet and trade here, alike to their own advantage and to that of our State. We fully appreciate the great advance of the commerce of Siam,! and, knowing that there is no more important factor in promoting the material progress and welfare of a country than successful commerce, we have always had deeply at heart the encouragement of trade within our dominions."
SECTION 4. The Philippine Islands.
Sources of Information. The information contained in this section has been obtained at personal interviews with the London and Glasgow partners of the leading British firms trading in the Islands. A memorandum has been received from the agent at Manila of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bauking Corporation, and the detailed statistics published by the United States War Department, Bureau of Insular Affairs, Washington, have been freely drawn upon. HM. Consular Reports for Mauila have also been quoted in respect of details of Imports and Exports.
General Information.--The Philippine Islands, with an area of 717,942 square miles, and an estimated population of eight million people, form one of the richest and most fertile areas in the tropical world. Much of the land is covered by forests of great value, and nature is so bountiful that almost all tropical products grow to profusion. Among the products for which the islands are renowned is the fibrous plaut, abaca, from which Manila hemp is made, a product used throughout the world Fine sugar, rice, coffee, cacao, and tobacco are grown, in the form of rope and twine. and although the implements and machines used in farming are of the simplest character, nature is so lavish that, up to the present, they have proved sufficient.
The islands have had a somewhat chequered history. Their population consists in the main of Malays, but for centuries their relations with China had been very close, and for such progress as they made during the first fifteen centuries of the Christian Era they are indebted to the Chinese, who settled in the Islands and freely married with the natives. The Philippines were discovered by Magellan in 1521, and for the next 377 years remained under Spanish rule until the Spanish-American War brought about their conquest by the United States. The Islands have been under American control since August 1898.
The foreign trade of the colony was conducted under Spanish rule by old- established British and Spanish merchants with offices in Manila, and the British houses still conduct the greater portion of the export trade, although the development of foreign commerce since 1898 has brought about a large influx of American and German merchants, and has caused intensified competition in imported articles.
The capital of the islands and the great centre for foreign residence and trade is Manila, in the island of Luzon, but most of the large trading concerns have branches at Iloilo, in the island of Panay, for the shipment of sugar, and at Cebu, on the island of the same name, for the shipment of hemp drawn from the southern islands.
Extent of Foreign Trade. The total foreign trade of the Philippines during the last three complete pre-war years was valued as follows:-
Imports
Exports
1911.
£
1012.
1913.
£
10,005,092
12,847,479
£ 11,106,830
9.289,020
11,413,487
*Total
19.294.112
21,260,9€6
9,952,699
21,059,529
43
The total trade has expanded very considerably under the American policy of development, but since the passing of the Payne-Aldrich tariff of 1909, which estab lished free imports from the United States, and placed heavy duties upon goods from other countries, the share of United States manufacturers in the import trade has increased rapidly, until in 1913 they contributed more than 50 per cent. of the imports into the colony.
The total growth of the trade over a period of years, and the relative positions of the United Kingdom and her three principal competitors, the United States, Germany, and Japan, will be seen from the subjoined table, compiled from the United States Government statistics, and giving the annual average import and export figures during four quinquennial periods:-
Years.
Imports.
The values are given in United States gold currency.
#
Total
Cnitel Kingdom.
United States,
Germany.
Japan.
*
密
Calendar Years, 1890-1894. Fiscal Years, 1899-1903 1904-1908 1909-1913
15,905,552 4,772,108 25,821,515 4,768,998 29,920,118 5,353,572 45.114,262 5,703,758
483,164
* 639,895 2,728,668 1,710,388 4,992,600 1.609,967 16,188,394 2.240,706
*
75,390
561,659
920.189
2,429,727
Years
Exports.
Total.
United Kingdom.
United States.
Germany.
Japan.
i
Calendar Years, 1890-1894 - Fiscal Years, 1899–1903
+1
"
*
*
* 20.062,983 7,114,419 3,436,784 22,476,101 7,340,260 6,237,975 32,210,060 8,706,815 12,150,529 42,927,905 7,165,387 17,403,144
#
16,063
|
219,493
122,700 1,034,010 417,287
650,824
1.112,88%
1,209,668
1904-1908 1909-1913
The striking features of these figures are:-
(1) The rapid progress made by United States trade since the annexation in 1898, and more particularly since the passing of the Import Tariff Act of 1909.
(2) The slow actual growth of the trade with the United Kingdom, and the relative decline from a commanding position under the Spanish régime to a secondary position at the present time. This is almost entirely due to the imposition of the tariff.
(3) The growth of the trade with Germany and Japan, particularly during the last quinquennium, due to the extension of the interests of those countries at Manila and elsewhere, and the establishment of German and Japanese traders in the islands.
Although in the face of the heavy tariff, imports of British manufactured goods are not likely to increase, and the position of the United Kingdom in the trade of the Philippines is likely to still further decline after the war, the significant fact remains that local British merchants still control the bulk foreign trade of the islands, and British exchange banks have a large share in financing it. The export trade in hemp and sugar is almost entirely controlled by the three leading British houses, and this position has been maintained despite the entry of American competitors in the field. In the import trade there is much more competition, but the British houses who specialise in this branch are holding their own. Naturally, in the face of the Customs Tariff, they are obliged to turn their attention more and more to the distribution of American goods.
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